English
Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary EducationHSC Science Class 11

Working with your partner, discuss the following adages and share your views with the class. You may need to give your ideas and justify your point of view. Remember to - English

Advertisements
Advertisements

Question

Working with your partner, discuss the following adages and share your views with the class. You may need to give your ideas and justify your point of view. Remember to take turns while making your presentation/short speech.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown

Answer in Brief
Advertisements

Solution

Whoever is heading an organization, a team, of players, a country does have a heavy responsibility. Leadership may give the person social recognition but in day-to-day life, the responsibilities of a leader are really heavy. A captain of the army during the Kargil war, found one of his soldiers wounded. The Kargil war was heading to a victory for India. The captain did not allow his junior officers to go and bring the wounded soldier. He went and received the bullets. Yet he pulled the wounded soldier to safety. He brought the wounded soldier to the bunk. While returning also he was shot many times. He dropped down dead. He had saved the wounded soldier and the subordinate officer at the cost of his life. Sometimes, there is a cold war, people try to usurp power by secret dealings.

Aurangzeb killed many of his brothers to ascend to the throne. While in power, kings are really worried about the conspiracy being cooked by relatives to overthrow them. King’s wife poisons king to death. Kings heading battles get killed too. So, we should never be jealous of people in power. Each post or power carries its own stress and unresolved conflicts, occasionally resulting in depression too. Being the head of an army, or that of a country is not always a matter of pride or glory. The grandeur conceals pain, anxiety and even fear of impending death.

shaalaa.com
Poem (Class 11th)
  Is there an error in this question or solution?
Chapter 6.2: The Hollow Crown - Exercises [Page 187]

APPEARS IN

Samacheer Kalvi English Class 11 TN Board
Chapter 6.2 The Hollow Crown
Exercises | Q E. b. | Page 187

RELATED QUESTIONS

Fill in the blanks choosing the words from the box given and complete the summary of the poem:

The poet Okara in this narrative monologue painfully condemns the (a)______ displayed by adults, both in their words and actions. Here, a father laments to his son about the negative changes that creep into the attitude and behaviour of humans, when they grow into (b)______. He says that people used to be (c)______ when they laugh and the honesty would be reflected in their eyes. But, people of modern times laugh (d)______. Their handshakes used to be warm and happy conveying a sense of togetherness, but nowadays the handshakes have become a mere (e)______. He warns his son that people are not trust-worthy and have become so selfish that they are concerned only about their own (f)______benefits. People utter words of welcome and exchange (g)______, but those words come only from the tip of their tongues and not from the depth of their hearts. Humans have learnt the art of changing their (h)______ expressions according to situations merely to ensure social acceptance. They wear(i)______ and exhibit multiple faces. The narrator admits that he has also changed into a hypocrite. However, he tells his son that though he (j)______ his expressions, he does all these against his will. He says he wants to become a (k)______ again and laugh genuinely. He wants to (l)______ the unreal things and (m)______how to laugh as he had done once upon a time. When he laughs before the (n)______, he sees no expression. His teeth are bare like that of the (o)______of a snake. So, he asks his son to show him how to laugh the way he used to laugh when he was a kid like him.

relearn adults facial
personal fangs child
fakes superficially duplicity
genuine unlearn falsity
masks mirror pleasantries

Explain the following line with reference to the context.

There will be no thrice.


Do you think the narrator is heroic? Why?


How does the poet establish the victory of common sense over ego?


Everybody is special and everybody is a hero. Each one has a story to tell. In the light of this observation, present your views.


Find words from the poem that convey the following ideas:

  1. connected together
  2. spread over the surface of the ground in a straggling manner 
  3. make out or understand
  4. slender woody shoots growing from branches or stems of trees

Complete the summary of the poem by filling in the blanks with the words given below.

The poet, in a relaxed state of mind, is sitting in a (1) ______. He reflects on how his mood brings (2) ______thoughts, which are inevitably followed by (3)______ones. He feels connected to all of nature, and senses an inherent joy in all (4)______. He has faith in the fact that all the primroses and periwinkles around him (5)______ the air they breathe. He feels that every bird in the grove moves with (6)______. As the twigs catch the breezy air, they do so with the same pleasure (7)______ all life on earth. This joy of nature seems to be heaven-sent. Nature’s holy plan is to offer joy and peace to all forms of life on earth. The poet’s pleasant train of thought slowly leads to the sad reflection of how mankind alone has wrought sorrow and (8)______ upon itself. He firmly believes that man is meant to spend his days blissfully taking part in the vitality and joy surrounding him in (9)______. He therefore concludes rhetorically, emphasizing that he has good reason to (10)______ the distress, man unnecessarily brings upon himself.

creations abundance savour
pleasant suffering grove
lament pervading sorrowful
ecstasy    

Explain the following line with reference to the context in about four to five sentence each.

The birds around me hopp’d and play’d,

Their thoughts I cannot measure.


Read the following line and identify the figure of speech used in each extract.

To her fair works did Nature link

The human soul that through me ran.


Read the poem once again. Identify the rhyme scheme and pick out the rhyming pairs of words.


How do people bring grief and sorrow to one another?


The poet experiences sadness because ______.


A French proverb goes thus: ‘The dog may be wonderful prose, but only the cat is poetry.’ You may have observed that all animals possess a number of unique qualities. Fill in the columns with words and phrases associated with each of the following animals.

DOG CAT WOLF ELEPHANT
       
       
       
       
       

Why is the Flying Squad frustrated?


Describe the appearance and qualities of Macavity.


Read the given lines and answer the question that follow.

Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw…

  1. Does the poet talk about a real cat?
  2. Why is he called the Hidden Paw?

Read the given lines and answer the question that follow.

There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.

  1. Which cat is being talked of here?
  2. How is he different from the rest?

What is the rhyme scheme used in the poem?


Which path should we follow in life?


Why does the speaker say ‘Everest is not the only peak’?


Read the given line and answer the question that follow.

Honour is a property, common to all: In dignity and pride no one need to be poor.

  1. Who are considered rich?
  2. What is their asset?

The poem does not focus on the destination but the journey towards it. Discuss


Work with a partner and take this short quiz to find out how well-informed you are about history.

  • Name a few wars and battles you have read about.
  • What is the difference between a war and a battle? 
  • Why do rulers wage wars and battles?
  • Is the outcome of a war always fair? 
  • Do you think rulers understand the true meaning of life – in defeat or in victory? 
  • Can you name a few kings and leaders who have fallen from glory to disgrace? 

Fill in the blank with appropriate word from the box and complete the statement suitably:

The business woman wished to ______all her riches to an orphanage, after her death.


Fill in the blank with appropriate word from the box and complete the statement suitably:

Alexander the Great, wished to conquer many lands and ______the entire world.


What does the crown of rulers stand for?


Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:

“How can you say to me, I am a king?”


Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:

“Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,…”


Read the poem once again carefully and identify the figure of speech that has been used in each of the following line from the poem:

“Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!”


Pick out the alliteration from the following lines:

“And tell sad stories of the death of kings:”


Share
Notifications

Englishहिंदीमराठी


      Forgot password?
Use app×